How to Clean a Dog's Facial Wrinkles

The faces of wrinkly dogs, such as the pug, bulldog and shar-pei, must be cleaned two to three times a week. Dirt, dead skin and bacteria can accumulate in their facial skin folds and cause skin infections and irritation. Because many dogs don't enjoy their face being cleaned, their owners often don't look forward to the cleaning process. However, cleaning your dog's facial wrinkles keeps its skin healthy, gives you the opportunity to inspect its face for potential problems and makes for quality bonding time.

Things You'll Need

  • Petroleum jelly
  • Washcloth
  • Baby wipes
  • Towels
  • Cotton balls
  • Mineral oil
  • Dog shampoo
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Instructions

    • 1

      Apply petroleum jelly to your dog's nose to keep it soft during the facial washing process.

    • 2

      Wet a washcloth with warm water. Squeeze out the excess water.

    • 3

      Wipe your dog's face with the damp washcloth. Carefully wipe areas in between your dog's facial wrinkles. As an alternative, use baby wipes with aloe vera to clean your dog's face. Dry your dog's face with a towel. Use this face-washing method, as needed, in between baths.

    • 4

      Give your dog's face a thorough cleaning when you give him a full bath. Rub petroleum jelly on your dog's nose, put cotton balls in its ears and insert a drop of mineral oil in each eye. The cotton balls keep water out of your dog's ears and prevent ear infections, while the mineral oil keeps shampoo and water from getting in its eyes.

    • 5

      Wet a washcloth with warm water and wipe it over your dog's face and into its wrinkles to fully moisten its facial skin.

    • 6

      Apply tearless dog shampoo to your washcloth and clean your dog's face with it. Massage the shampoo into the wrinkles around the eyes, forehead, nose and mouth area.

    • 7

      Rinse your dog's face with warm water. Avoid rushing when washing your dog's face. Rinse all traces of shampoo thoroughly because shampoo left on your dog's skin or in skin folds can lead to irritations and infections.

    • 8

      Dry your dog's face and in between facial skin folds with a clean towel.